[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]

Today on AMANPOUR., we have something very special – a rare in-depth interview with the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who has just given testimony to the U.S. Congress on President Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan. Can General McChrystal turn the tide of this war in just 18 months? It’s an interview you don’t want to miss. It will air at 4.30pm Eastern Time on CNN in the United States and overseas. And in our regular time slot at 3pm ET we will have an interview with Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad. He faces some tough questions from Christiane on war crimes charges against his president and the risk of a bloody new civil war between the north and the south of Sudan. So there’s a lot going on today. In addition, there are some other important stories to tell you about that are making headlines across the globe.

– Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.

AFGHANISTAN – Can the U.S. turn around the war with a new strategy and more troops?

–          U.S. Defense Secy. Robert Gates tells military commanders in Afghanistan that “we have all the pieces coming together to be successful”

–          Gates most senior official to visit Afghanistan since Obama’s strategy announcement last week

–          U.S. trying to reassure Afghanistan and Pakistan that July 2011 deadline to begin American withdrawal will not give Taliban an advantage in the long term

–          Gates outlining ambitious goals to increase size of Afghan army by about 50 percent to 134,000 soldiers by the end of 2010

QUESTION: Will Afghan military be in any position to begin taking security lead anytime soon?

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A citizen journalist called “patroller” - believed to be one of the first people at the scene of the Maguindanao massacre – sent this photo to the media.

By Maria A. Ressa
Head, ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs
Former CNN Jakarta Bureau Chief

57 people killed in broad daylight, 30 of them journalists.  It was premeditated murder because even before they were ambushed, their graves were dug.  It was the worst election-related violence we have ever seen and the deadliest single attack on journalists anywhere around the world.

This is a story about the courage of one anonymous Filipino – a citizen journalist – who risked his life three times on Monday, November 23 to tell the world about the massacre in the southern Philippines.  His courage gave the world the first photograph of the carnage released to the public.  It also shows how professional journalists and citizen journalists can work together to circumvent fear, prevent a whitewash and get the Truth out.

ABS-CBN’s citizen journalism program began during our 2007 elections.  We called it “Boto Mo, I-Patrol Mo.” Translated it means, “Patrol Your Votes.”  It was the first time globally that a broadcast media organization used the power of mass media and combined it with mobile phone technology and new media for a political purpose: to help ensure elections are free and fair.
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AMANPOUR. blog users, Facebook users and Twitter users all submitted questions about Afghanistan for Professor Simon Schama. We put them to him:

What did you think of the questions and his answers? Comment here:

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/art.amanpour.writer.jpg caption="Sr. Writer Tom Evans"]

It’s a new week on AMANPOUR. and Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai joins Christiane for a worldwide exclusive television interview following the long-awaited announcement of President Obama’s new military strategy in Afghanistan.   Karzai addresses concerns about whether he’ll be tough on corruption, whether Afghan security forces can be strengthened quickly enough to meet the U.S. withdrawal timetable, and whether the time has come to negotiate with the Taliban.  You don’t want to miss Christiane’s in-depth interview with Karzai which is already making headlines around the globe. That’s not the only story making news today. Here are some perspectives on some other headlines.

Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.

CLIMATE CHANGE – Will the Copenhagen summit simply generate a lot of hot air from world leaders or will it lead to an enduring breakthrough on climate change?

–    Denmark hosting biggest climate meeting in history attended by 192 countries

–          Danish prime minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says a deal is within reach in Copenhagen

–          Meeting could lay groundwork for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions well into this century

–          Optimism growing that an accord will be reached to tackle threat of potentially catastrophic global warming

QUESTION: Will world leaders end finger-pointing and put their narrow national interests to one side in the cause of tackling what some say is the biggest issue of our time?

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What did you think about the Karzai interview? Comment here:

What do you think after watching this video? What do you think about the prosecutions in Africa? Should Moreno-Ocampo bring charges against U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan? Comment here: